Frustration. Indignance. It starts to creep in. It comes the time of the year, or can i say the day of the summer. Transfer deadline day. A period of time where managers frantically open their chequebooks to sign players to finalise their squad, where agents and players are hurrying up on the moves. A day of excitement, enthralling for the fans, sometimes, appalling and astonishing. The clock strikes 2pm (UK time), arsenal fans absolutely livid over the apparent news that the club are not signing anybody. Shambolic news for the fans. Arsenal, having only recently ended their 9-year wait for a trophy, had promised much this season. The club appeared stable, the players were hungry, they were determined to build on a trophy success. The manager, Arsene Wenger, then uncharacteristically made early moves in the window to bring in 4 top quality signings. Fans were led to dream, especially with the signing of a world-class player like Alexis Sanchez. Arsenal fans really did believed that this season could finally be THEIR season. Further aided by their convincing and dominating community shield triumph over champions manchester city, they were led to think that Arsenal Football Club was entering an era of dominance again. An era to track back 10 years ago, when Arsenal was simply scintillating and high above any other side, most memorably their Invincibles season, in which they never lost a single game over a period of 49 games. Sublime. However, one would surely be familiarized being an arsenal fan. We simply do not do things the easy way. As the season started, the squad's shortcomings were soon laid bare and nearly exposed on a number of occasions. The lack of a centre-back cover, the desperate need for a physical, dominating powerful defensive midfielder and a world class striker. Arsene Wenger had nearly all the time in the world to address the main concerns of the squad. One would reference Arsene to that of a stubborn old man who really wants to prove others wrong and himself right about his unwavering faith in his players. Now fast approaching the deadline and right after the Leicester game, i have to say Arsene, i'm afraid you've got it all wrong again. TIme after game, over the years, with his taste for stringent spending and his lack of desire to splurge the cash for players whom the fans so dearly desire, his time is running out. Now don't get me wrong. I love and respect the man. What he has done for Arsenal Football Club as a whole has been remarkable and is truly unmatched. He has transformed them into a world-class team, carried the club through the stormy waters of the stadium debt, but now with the debts all cleared, does he have a reason not to fully strengthen the squad? I just want to make the point that since the Invincibles squad, we have never really placed the likes of Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp, and Pires. I think its down more to a lack of desire by the manager to replace them. We have clearly struggled over the years. However, building legacies are meant for them to be continued, but Arsene clearly sees things from a different spectacles. The fans have the right to feel frustrated. Every right in the world to do so. It is a irony filled with satire right now that Arsenal charges fans the highest ticket prices in England but are reluctant to spend money on world-class players on a frequent basis. As the deadline approaches, it looks very bleak for Arsenal Football Club. A season which has promised so much, arguably has been restricted by Wenger's refusal to address the squad's concerns. Time has changed Wenger. How ironic is it that you're off to Rome on deadline day to referee a match which promotes peace while Arsenal fans are raging world war III on twitter. Will it really be a season of what-ifs and all-over-again disappointment for Arsenal Football Club this season? We certainly don't know. Only Monsieur Wenger knows. And he has to do something about it quickly.
The clock strikes 2pm (UK time), arsenal fans absolutely livid over the apparent news that the club are not signing anybody. Shambolic news for the fans. Arsenal, having only recently ended their 9-year wait for a trophy, had promised much this season. The club appeared stable, the players were hungry, they were determined to build on a trophy success. The manager, Arsene Wenger, then uncharacteristically made early moves in the window to bring in 4 top quality signings. Fans were led to dream, especially with the signing of a world-class player like Alexis Sanchez. Arsenal fans really did believed that this season could finally be THEIR season. Further aided by their convincing and dominating community shield triumph over champions manchester city, they were led to think that Arsenal Football Club was entering an era of dominance again. An era to track back 10 years ago, when Arsenal was simply scintillating and high above any other side, most memorably their Invincibles season, in which they never lost a single game over a period of 49 games. Sublime. However, one would surely be familiarized being an arsenal fan. We simply do not do things the easy way. As the season started, the squad's shortcomings were soon laid bare and nearly exposed on a number of occasions. The lack of a centre-back cover, the desperate need for a physical, dominating powerful defensive midfielder and a world class striker. Arsene Wenger had nearly all the time in the world to address the main concerns of the squad. One would reference Arsene to that of a stubborn old man who really wants to prove others wrong and himself right about his unwavering faith in his players. Now fast approaching the deadline and right after the Leicester game, i have to say Arsene, i'm afraid you've got it all wrong again. TIme after game, over the years, with his taste for stringent spending and his lack of desire to splurge the cash for players whom the fans so dearly desire, his time is running out. Now don't get me wrong. I love and respect the man. What he has done for Arsenal Football Club as a whole has been remarkable and is truly unmatched. He has transformed them into a world-class team, carried the club through the stormy waters of the stadium debt, but now with the debts all cleared, does he have a reason not to fully strengthen the squad? I just want to make the point that since the Invincibles squad, we have never really placed the likes of Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp, and Pires. I think its down more to a lack of desire by the manager to replace them. We have clearly struggled over the years. However, building legacies are meant for them to be continued, but Arsene clearly sees things from a different spectacles.
The fans have the right to feel frustrated. Every right in the world to do so. It is a irony filled with satire right now that Arsenal charges fans the highest ticket prices in England but are reluctant to spend money on world-class players on a frequent basis. As the deadline approaches, it looks very bleak for Arsenal Football Club. A season which has promised so much, arguably has been restricted by Wenger's refusal to address the squad's concerns. Time has changed Wenger. How ironic is it that you're off to Rome on deadline day to referee a match which promotes peace while Arsenal fans are raging world war III on twitter. Will it really be a season of what-ifs and all-over-again disappointment for Arsenal Football Club this season? We certainly don't know. Only Monsieur Wenger knows. And he has to do something about it quickly.